A home EV charger is a dedicated appliance that safely delivers AC power to your car's onboard charger. From there the car itself converts it to DC to charge the battery.
What's inside
- A contactor that switches the high-current AC supply on and off.
- Protective devices — RCD, over-current protection, PEN fault detection.
- A control board that talks to the car over the charging cable.
- Smart features: scheduling, load balancing, solar integration, app control.
Charging speeds
Most UK homes get a 7.4 kW (single-phase 32A) charger — good for a full overnight charge on nearly any EV. Three-phase supplies allow 22 kW chargers but need a three-phase incomer.
Safety
Modern chargers include Type A/B or Type A + 6mA DC detection RCD protection built in, plus PEN fault detection so you don't need a separate earth rod in most installations.